Public event makes the case for Wellington’s future as game development hub
Wellington already has a reputation as New Zealand’s ‘film city’, but an upcoming event at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington is aiming to showcase its potential as a future video game development hub too.
A recent report from the New Zealand Game Developers Association says New Zealand could create a billion dollar export industry by 2024. The Games++ event, organised by the University’s School of Design and the Computational Media Innovation Centre (CMIC), will show how Wellington can lead the way.
The Games++ keynote speaker is computer graphics pioneer, CMIC Executive Advisor, and Professor Emeritus at Georgia Tech’s College of Computing, James D. Foley. In his speech ‘Games for Economic Development,’ he will present ways for Wellington’s already thriving gaming industry to grow further.
"As media converge, Wellington becomes a natural place for games, virtual and augmented reality, and new media experiences,” says Wellington University Associate Professor Zach Dodson, who is organising the event.
“We're excited to have James D. Foley connect the dots for us. His work in Human Computer Interaction has helped to define the field and paved the way for those at the vanguard now. Events like this can leverage Wellington's expertise into exciting partnerships and collaborations. Attendees can expect a rapid-fire cross-section of exciting Games and Computational Media projects currently simmering at the School of Design and at CMIC."
Dr Rilla Khaled and Dr Pippin Barr from Canada’s Concordia University Department of Design and Computation Arts will also be speaking.
This free public event, sponsored by Game Developers of Wellington, aims to inspire attendees and build connections amongst Wellington’s diverse community of animation, VFX and game development professionals, introducing them to innovative projects coming out of Wellington University’s School of Design.
Tickets are available on the Eventfinda listing.